Distant Memories
by Ace724
Summary: Everyone has forgotten Edward, and Alphonse is missing. What was going on? Who was this mysterious woman behind the lost memories? No explicit pairings.
1. At a Lost

_**A/N: Hey, Ace here! The fact that you actually are reading this is astounding! And I'd like to thank you! Seeing as this is my first fanfic (though not my first story, but I still have a lot to learn about writing), I would appreciate no flames. Pls. Buuuuuut, I would very much appreciate constructive criticism! Are the characters too OOC? Is there anything I can do to improve this story? Let me know!**_

 _ **This story takes place two years-ish before the Promised Day, and obviously it follows the FMAB plotline. And it's slightly based off "C'mon" by Panic! At the Disco.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the**_ **Fullmetal Alchemist** _ **characters. If I did, Al would already have his body back, a certain character would still be alive, and all my favorite characters would be trapped in a very large house. But alas, this wonderful story belongs to the equally wonderful Hiromu Arakawa.**_

Edward Elric stormed angrily down the halls of Central HQ towards the office that belonged to Colonel Roy Mustang. Another false lead, and Ed was getting sick of it. Two years! Two long years of constant searching. He'd hope Alphonse would've had his body back by now. But, no, it had been years of traipsing off to one end of Amestris to the other.

"Brother, I think you should slow down," a surprisingly young voice rang out from the large suit of armor following the eldest Elric.

No response, but the unbalanced footsteps that echoed through the room audibly slowed down a bit.

Colonel Roy Mustang was, once again, procrastinating on paperwork when an auto mail foot kicked opened his door for the umpteenth time.

"You're late," he droned.

"Oh, shut up!" Ed snapped, slamming the latest file report on the Colonel's desk. "Here's your dumb report!"

"Brother...," Al murmured, worried.

Edward spared a glance at his brother and shrugged, while the younger Elric just sighed resignedly.

"It's sloppy, Fullmetal," Mustang declared, if only to spite the boy.

"Aw, screw you and your stupid report," retorted Ed. "Do you have a new mission yet?"

Despite being a womanizing jerk, at least in Edward's eyes, Mustang could hear the underlying message the boy was relaying. So who was he to deny it?

"Yes," the older man finally responded. "A city called Newcrest is rumored to have a witch among them. A large flash of red electricity can be seen often from a large warehouse on the outskirts of the town."

A twin pair of golden orbs widen slightly at the last statement. A vicious grin spread over the teen's face. "Newcrest, eh?"

The Colonel smirked knowingly. "Yea, I've heard it's only a two day train ride there and the locals are very friendly. Many of them actually are military."

"Huh, well, I suppose I'll go check it out. Thanks, Colonel Bastard."

"No problem, shorty."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SHORT?!"

"That'd be you, Fullmetal."

"Brother, let's just head to the library," Al said, trying to calm his older brother's temper.

"Yeah, sure, Al," Ed growled, giving Mustang the stink eye. _We're not done_ , it said.

 _Anytime_ , the Colonel's eyes replied.

"Perhaps you could stop arguing with Edward, _sir_ , and get your paperwork finished, you could probably think about fighting with Ed again," Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye reprimanded, a large stack of paperwork sitting firmly in her arms.

"Have fun, Colonel!" Ed sang before running out of the office alongside Al.

"Why that little..." Mustang leapt out of his chair, about to chase after the shrimp who was-

 _Click_.

"Sir, I would like to think it wise if you sat down and completed your paperwork before you go galavanting off with Edward."

The Colonel immediately sat down and begin scribbling his signature. "O-of course, Hawkeye."

The Lieutenant then left, knowing that the Colonel would go back to his predictable routine not ten minutes from now. The blonde woman sighed, why did she put up with this man again? She was his protector- and if worse came to worse, his killer. It was her task to do as her job implied. _Protect_.

Protect the only person who she trust enough to share her father's research.

Protect him from himself, even if it means putting a bullet through his heart.

Protect the reason she was still following the steps of life today.

Riza Hawkeye allowed a ghost of a smile to don her face as she eyed the rest of the team, assuring herself that they were doing their job rather than betting about the most obscure things. Today was a wonderful day, she thought.

* * *

Edward chased after his younger brother as they headed towards the place that was practically the brothers' second home.

"Al, wait up!" He called after the quickly disappearing form of his sibling who stopped after hearing his brother's cry.

"Woops, sorry, Brother," he said, embarrassed, when the eldest Elric finally caught up with him.. It was easy to forget another's limitation when you're a suit of armor that survives on nothing, Alphonse reasoned **[1]**.

"Don't worry about it," Ed said. In his eyes, Al could do almost no wrong. After all, it was all his fault that the young boy was stuck in a suit of armor in the first place. It was his fault. If he hadn't suggested that they bring back their deceased mother, that vintage armor wouldn't be Al's body now. It should be him in that suit of armor. It should've been him.

Shaking his head as if to rid his mind of such thoughts, Ed led the way into the First Branch of the National Central Library. In that branch, mainly military reports adorned the shelves of the library. And the reports on Newcrest were in said library. Yes, today was going to be a good day, Ed smiled wanly.

* * *

 _BAM!_

The clanking of armor slamming into a human body reverberated loudly in the large, barren, warehouse.

"Watch out, Al!" Edward shouted as he battled one of the dealers that had hidden themselves away in the building.

Alphonse immediately twisted around and knocked out a tall, scrawny man with a hit to the temple with his leather gauntlet. "Thanks, Brother!" Then the young Elric turned back to his original opponent: a man dressed in heavy, steel armor with a large broadsword.

The man swung his sword in a large arc, causing Al to jump back to avoid the cut. The tip of the blade passed dangerously close to the point where Alphonse's head and body separated. But as the broadsword came around a second time, the empty suit of armor grabbed it, bringing the assailant to a halt. Then to bring the attacks to a complete stop, Al knocked out this man with a swift hit to his metallic helmet.

Over on the other side of the room, Edward was on the offensive. A kick here. A flip there. A metal fist to the head with an elbow to the gut. A drove a men surrounded Ed. Though Al was positive that Ed could take them, so he turned his attention towards taking care of the large barrels of drugs.

After dumping the drums' contents in the sewage water, Al switched his gazed back towards where his brother was easily taking care of the men who worked in this facility. It was almost unnerving, Alphonse pondered, how simple this mission in Newcrest was. They'd come here in hopes of finding a Philosopher's Stone, but, instead, the brothers had just found drug dealers, who liked to play with fire.

* * *

Hundreds of kilometers away, a woman stood in the middle of a large, complex transmutation circle. Her palms faced downward, a small, blood red Philosopher's Stone sitting comfortably at her feet. Long, blonde hair whipped violently around her person as the breeze grew larger and more vicious. The clothes of a gypsy covered her body, the wind twisting the clothing every which way. The full moon shone down, lighting up the starry sky.

Red sparks of lightning raced gleefully to all corners of Amestris erasing her nemesis from the memories of all that once knew him.

The woman grinned. Yes, good, make him suffer. Wonderful, she laughed, everything was going exactly as she planned.

* * *

Edward groggily forced himself out of bed as the morning sun passed through the hotel window and burned his eyelids.

"A-Al?"

No answer.

Getting up out of bed, Ed scanned the room for a familiar suit of armor. "Alphonse?" He repeated. "Alphooonnnseeee!" Panic began to claw at Edward's mind. Where was his brother? What happened to his little brother?!

Running carelessly down the wooden stairs, he went up to the woman currently running the hotel. "Ma'am, have you seen a large suit of armor?"

A thoughtful look donned her features. "I believe so. He told me he was heading back to Central when I asked where he was headed. Such a young boy too. I wonder why he wore such bulky armor," she said, almost like an afterthought.

Thanking the stout woman, Ed headed back to his room to grab his suitcase. Then, without a single hesitation the boy boarded a train and returned to Central in hopes of finding his brother.

* * *

Roy Mustang watched in confusion as a young girl with blonde hair tied up in a braid came up to him, slamming her hands on his desk, scattering his paperwork everywhere. Lieutenant Hawkeye was out delivering paperwork and the rest of the crew was out grabbing lunch.

"Mustang! Mustang! Do you know what happened to Alphonse?" The boy, as Mustang could now see, had stunning gold eyes.

A small frown curved the older man's mouth. "I believe the correct form of address is _Colonel Mustang_."

"You've never cared before, Colonel Bastard."

"I can have you court-martial if you refuse to address me properly," Mustang smirked, believing that he had won.

"Again, you've never, ever, _ever_ , cared before about what I called you, so why start now? You know you can't stop me," the child retorted, though this time a small crease of confusion flashed over his face before he quickly hid the emotion behind a mask.

There was something...familiar about the boy standing before him. It was _right_ there, but the knowledge was out of Mustang's reach.

"But, how could have I "cared before" when you burst into my office like you own the place, and I have never seen you before in my life?"

"W-wait," the blond took a step back. "You've never met me before?" His eyes widen in surprise and fear. "M-Mustang, is this a joke? T-this isn't funny, you know. I just wanted to know where Al was, that's all..."

The boy was scared, Mustang saw. He legitimately believed he knew Mustang. And he was still babbling, the name "Al" and "Alphonse" coming up multiple times.

"Who's Alphonse?" The Colonel dared to ask.

"My younger brother," came the absent reply. "He's a suit of armor."

Mustang raised a skeptical eyebrow at this claim. "He's a suit of armor, you say?"

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"I don't think I understand. Is he _a_ suit of armor or is he _wearing_ a suit of armor? There's a difference, you know."

The boy's golden orbs pierced into Mustang's soul as they narrowed, a dangerous gleam entering his eyes. "If you don't remember, I won't tell you," he finally answered, then turned around and left the room, not bothering to close the door.

* * *

Edward walked down one of the many streets of Central, deep in thought. If Mustang didn't remember him, what's to say that the others don't either? And where was Alphonse? Even odder yet, no one has even spared him a second glance. Normally, people would turn, point, and say something along the lines of, "Hey, look, it's the Fullmetal Alchemist, the Hero of the People!"

"What's going?" Ed muttered to himself. "Why has everyone forgotten me? And for God's sake, where is Al?"

When the thirteen year old finally got back to the room he was staying at, the news of what he had learn today hit him full on. His breath hitched in his throat. He couldn't breathe. But no, Edward wouldn't allow himself to cry. Because Al was still out there somewhere in this large city and as long as Alphonse couldn't cry, Ed would not let himself cry.

Ed flopped down on his bed, thoughts bouncing back and forth, from one idea to the next. Theory after theory. This wasn't like an alchemical equation. No, this was something bigger.

He had no idea how close to the truth he was.

 ** _A/N: What do you think? Let me know!_**

 ** _1: I know that Al is living off the nutrients and such that Edward is providing. I've seen the anime, so please, don't go yelling at me that I'm incorrect. Remember, this takes two-ish years before the Promised Days_**

 ** _And I do plan on making these chapters a bit longer. I just needed some backstory (which I don't like writing usually) first._**

 ** _Thanks for reading and have a good day! ~ Ace_**


	2. Nostalgic Meeting

_**A/N: I'd like to thank anyone who 1) read this story and 2) bothered to leave a review. They gave me warm fuzzies. :3**_

 _ **MadamMandarinPear - Thank you! 3**_

 _ **aimninja - Thank you, and I agree with you. My writing is a bit amateur. I still do have a lot to learn, after all. ;) And I do plan on trying to make my chapters longer, because I know I love reading stories that have long chapters. I'll most likely make the scenes longer, since I feel like those are too short. But I don't want the chapters to feel drawn out and forced... :/**_

 _ **Let's clear a couple things up, this is nonyaoi. So no RoyEd. Parental!RoyEd all the way. Also, in this story, Mustang and the rest of the crew are already in Central. I know they don't leave East City until Edward's fifteen. But this is my story, so my rules.**_

 _ **To the story!**_

Alphonse sat in the long, lush grass, flowers the color of the rainbow dotted the expansive countryside. He was home, back in Resembool with Winry and Granny. He missed Edward everyday, but Al felt like a horrible younger brother. He couldn't remember what his older brother looked like. Did he have brown hair, like their mother? Or did he have golden blond hair like their father? What color eyes did he have? What did his voice sound like? Was he kind? Or was he abrasive?

Al sighed, his life was just full of questions, wasn't it? Ever since he and Ed had performed the taboo and his older brother sacrificed his life to bring back Alphonse's soul, Al couldn't tell if life was just playing a cruel trick on him or not.

Winry and Granny were devastated when a large suit of armor came clambering into their home, claiming to be Alphonse, the younger of the Elric brothers.

"Where's Ed?" Al remembered Winry asking that night.

"Dead," he had replied, then he stumbled over towards the dull orange couch and plopped down, cradling his head between his hands.

"What happened?" Granny'd asked gently.

"W-we just wanted t-to see Mom again!" The small, frail voice had cried. "I l-lost my whole b-body and E-Ed gave h-his l-l-l-life to bring b-back my soul and a-attach it to this suit of a-armor Dad h-had left lying a-around."

At that point, Al was a mess, his ten year old mind still couldn't comprehend why Edward would do such a thing- give his life away like it was nothing. Even two years later, even through all the nights he had to undergo by himself, Alphonse still couldn't figure it out.

"You know, Al, if you refuse to talk to anyone, how will we help you?" A familiar voice asked, sitting down beside the young Elric.

"I- What if Ed is still alive? What if he's still out there somewhere, Winry?"

The blonde girl leaned against him, not caring if the armor was nearly scalding hot after sitting in the sun most of the day. "That can't be possible, Al," she said, but a thoughtful look entered her sky blue eyes. "If he were, wouldn't he have come home by now?"

"But what home?" Alphonse asked in distress. "The house burned down from the alchemic reaction!"

Winry jerked up angrily and smacked Al with her wrench. "What home?" She repeated, a dangerous lilt in her voice. "WHAT HOME?! Our home! Granny's home! My home! Your home! Ed's home!" The girl screamed, tears threatening to fall.

Recovering from the blow, Alphonse was introduced to the sight of a very, very furious Winry. Hands firmly set on her hips, an angry glare stared him down, a slight flush dusting her cheeks.

She was right, Al realized. He did have a home, even if it wasn't the one he was raised in. The Rockbell's house was where he went after the incident. It was where he went when he needed someone to talk to that wasn't some stray cat who'd just look at him, eyes pleading for some TLC.

Somewhere out there, maybe Edward was out there, trying to find a way home. Al considered the possibility of such a prospect. They were low, yes. But it would be enough to keep Alphonse going, for now.

* * *

Over in Central, Edward was racing from one corner of the city to the other in search of his younger brother. From the moment he woke up Ed had asked around the metropolis if someone had seen a large suit of armor walking around. But to no avail. It was already past noon by the time the thirteen year old finally decided to take a break.

Alphonse is out there somewhere, the boy reassured himself. He's just waiting to be found, that's all. But who was he kidding, Al would've found Ed by now knowing his older brother's tendency to worry a bit too much sometimes.

Ed strolled into the nearby café, and he took a seat next to the window facing the street. Releasing a heavy sigh, the boy stared out the window, watching the passing traffic.

The café itself was a quaint little shop. Round tables were set in no particular arrangement and a bar was on the other side of the room. Paintings and pictures hung at random on the walls, adding color to the plain yellow paint that normally remained barren.

"Can I get you something?" The waitress asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Ed started in surprise and realized that the woman had been there for awhile. "Yea, sure, sorry about that... I'll just have some water. Thanks."

"Mhm," she grunted, turning to service another table.

Turning back to the window, Ed watched in boredom until he heard the bell ring and a group of laughing men enter the shop.

Mustang's unit, Edward noted in surprise as he watched them sit down at a table right next to his.

How he longed to join them in their antics. But he couldn't, they wouldn't remember him, so for now, he could suffice with just watching them and knowing they were okay.

"Hey, kid, aren't you a bit young to be by yourself?" Havoc asked when he noticed the young boy eyeing them warily.

Edward's eye began twitching violently. "I'm thirteen, I think I can take care of myself," he said, his voice hitching dangerously.

"Where are your parents, shouldn't they be at least keeping an eye on you?" Breda wondered.

"That's for me to know and for you to leave me alone on the subject," Ed retorted, signifying the end of the conversation.

The two men just shrugged. Didn't come here to bug the kid, might as well just leave him alone. Going back to their original conversation, the blond-haired boy eavesdropped on their conversation. After all, Havoc always was privy to some of Mustang's more serious problems. Aside from Hawkeye, of course. She was, more or less, the Colonel's nanny. And Edward wasn't the only to come up with that notion. Some of the other soldiers believed it to be true also.

"Did you hear? Some kid down in a small country town performed Human Transmutation," Breda murmured.

Ed's head perked up slightly at that. Human Transmutation? Who'd be stupid enough to even think of committing the taboo...? Oh, yeah...him...

"I heard that it was two brothers," Falman frowned.

"But one of them is dead and the other is missing, at least according to the report, that is. For all we know, they could both be dead," Havoc remarked.

"But," Breda continued,"why are we hearing about now, when, apparently, it happened over two years ago?"

Wait, three years ago? Two brothers? Edward's mind began to fill in the blanks. Could they be talking about...him and Alphonse?

Havoc shrugged. "Dunno, you'd have to ask Hughes about that. But he's probably too caught up with gushing about his daughter and wife. It's a miracle that he's even in Investigations."

Hughes? Ed racked his brain. He didn't know anyone by the name of Hughes, but from Havoc's short description, he was positive he didn't want to meet this man anytime soon.

"Someone broke into Colonel Mustang's office earlier this week, did you hear?" Fuery said. "The culprit was muttering something about a person named Alphonse, at least from what the Colonel could tell."

Edward had heard enough, quietly, so he wouldn't alert the soldiers, he got up and left the café, tipping the waitress before he went. Stepping outside, he made a beeline for the park. It was a large place and would shelter him for the time being.

* * *

"The culprit had blond hair, golden eyes, wearing a obnoxiously bright red coat, and short," Fuery finished.

"Didn't the kid sitting next to us...," Havoc trailed off as he turned around and the aforementioned character was gone. "...fit that description?... Where'd he go?"

"When did he leave? That's the better question," Falman said, a tight frown curving his lips.

"Perhaps we should find out," Havoc suggested, rolling his eyes.

"Oh. Yea."

Havoc called over the waitress who had been serving the young boy. She was a good-looking lady, that's for sure. Her black hair was tied up in a loose ponytail and she wore the obligatory uniform required by all staff. She had a good body too, the soldier noticed. Maybe he should ask her out later. But for now, he had to focus on finding that boy.

"Ma'am, do you know where a boy- about this tall," Havoc held his right hand near his midriff hoping it was close to the boy's height, "went?"

"Hmm, I saw him head towards the park, but I don't know why he'd go there of all places."

The smoker frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You mean you don't know?" The woman raised both of her eyebrows. "Well, apparently, there's been murders happening around that area."

* * *

"Is the Colonel keeping information from us?" Falman panted as he and the rest of the unit sprinted to the park in hopes of finding and stopping the kid.

"I don't know!" Havoc answered. The frown on his face deepened as he thought over the possibilities. The Colonel was usually trusted his crew. So why start hiding information now?

"There he is!" Breda cried out, pointing at the small figure of the child they met at the café.

"We're too late...," Fuery murmured.

And the Sergeant Major was indeed correct. The blond was staring down at the young boy's deceased body. Blood painted the concrete pathway and a rusted, dagger laid tossed aside in the grass.

"I couldn't stop it...," the crew heard the boy whisper as they drew closer to the scene. "DANGIT!" He yelled, punching the ground with his right hand, leaving a small dent on the path. "He was right there... He was right there..."

"Hey, kid, are you okay?" Havoc asked, a bit worried.

"My name's Edward," the blond corrected. "And no, I'm not fine. A helpless man just died in front of my eyes. Tell me, why would I be fine when I could've done something?"

"How old are you again?" Breda asked skeptically.

"Thirteen."

"And you're not concerned with the blood or the fact there's a dead body in front of you. Most thirteen year olds would be scared out of their minds."

"I work for the m- I've seen worse," Ed amended quickly.

"You work for the what?" Falman questioned.

Edward's eyes narrowed. "That's not any of your business," he snapped.

"Mafia?" Fuery suggested.

"NO!" Ed protested vehemently. "I've never killed a person in my life and I don't plan on it either!"

"Then what?" Havoc pressed.

"I said it's not any of your business. And can you _please_ get rid of those cancer sticks, Havoc? You'll die of lung cancer, good god" Edward snarled as he stormed off, leaving stunned soldiers in his wake.

Havoc blinked then broke the ensuing silence. "Anyone else wondering how he knew my name and that I had cigarettes on me?"

* * *

"How could I be so _stupid_?!" Ed berated himself. "You just had to go and tell Havoc to stop smoking, didn't you?" The boy slapped his head. "Good going, Ed! One slip up! One freaking slip up and now they're going to be suspicious of you!"

"You know, I don't think yelling at yourself is going to help," a smooth, unfortunately familiar voice called out.

"And what do you want, Mustang?" Ed growled. "I'm kind of in the middle of something here."

"If you think doing...whatever that was...can be called'in the middle of something' I don't know what kind of life you're leading," Roy gestured towards where a red bump was beginning to form on the boy's head.

"If you could tell me where my brother is, my life would be just great," Edward said sardonically.

"If you could stop being a bratty teenager, that'd be great."

"Oh shut up, you womanizing idiot. You're not my dad." The blond immaturely stuck his tongue out and sidestepped around Mustang, continuing down the mostly empty street.

But Mustang wasn't going to have any of it. Falling in step besides Ed, he followed the boy, wondering where he was headed. He had just finished going through all his paperwork and was making his way home when he ran into Edward. Though he was wondering what the boy was up to when Mustang found him reprimanding himself. And that perplexed him. What would a kid be walking around in the evening without any type of adult supervision be up to? Where were his parents? And why was he by himself in the first place? But, he should really be focusing on the murders that have been occurring around Central. There was something about Ed though that intrigued the Colonel. Yet there was that lingering notion telling Roy that there was more to Edward than what met the eye.

"So, where are you going?"

"Nowhere."

"Come on, tell me, where are you going. I am military, it's kind of my job to know what goes on in this city," Mustang snorted at Ed's seeming ignorance of the older man's position.

"So I've noticed. And I told you, I'm going nowhere."

Roy sighed. The kid seemed serious enough, and he looked like an honest enough kid. "Fine," he finally said, "where do you live?"

"Resembool."

A frown appeared on the Colonel's face. "Where's that?" He asked dumbly.

"It's in the country, near Ishval," Ed muttered. "Well, close enough that the war reached us."

"Oh," Mustang said. What else could he say? Sorry that he was probably part of the destruction of the kid's home?

"Don't bother apologizing, I already know you were a part of the war. Along with pretty much every other soldier in the military," Edward chuckled darkly. "And have you always been this nosy?"

"Oh," Roy repeated, "sorry about that."

"Yeah, whatever. Could you just go away? You know, before I punch you in the face?"

The older man raised an eyebrow. "Punch me in the face? A military officer? You're certainly a gutsy one."

"I'm serious."

"Colonel! Colonel! We need to talk!" A distant voice that sounded suspiciously like Havoc's shouted. As the motley group drew closer, they froze at the sight of Edward. "What's he doing with you, Colonel? Didn't he break into your office?"

"Hey! I resent that!" Ed protested. "I didn't break in, I showed them my w-w-watch..."

"You should them your watch?" Breda inquired. "You showed military soldiers a wristwatch, and they let you in?"

"It's not a wristwatch," the blond grumbled. "H-hey, look at the time! I really should be getting home now!"

"But you told me you don't live in this city," Mustang pointed out.

Edward laughed nervously. "Later!" And he immediately sprinted off, turning the corner hiding himself in the overly large city he'd grown to know before his pursuers could catch up to him. That's what they get for sitting at a desk all day long, Ed grinned evilly.

 _ **A/N: I feel like some of those scenes are forced. But, alas, there's not much I can do to fix it without deleting over half of the chapter and then having the rest make no sense. :3 And I'm too lazy to go and fix it. Totally professional.**_

 _ **Constructive criticism is wanted! Are Roy and the other's too OOC for your liking? Is there anything I should fix? Etc. Etc.**_

 _ **Thanks for reading! And if you're in the mood, drop a review! Reading what you guys have to say is always fun! Well, see you later! ~ Ace**_


	3. Capture at Dark

_**A/N: I'd like to thank everyone who's read this. Thank you.**_

 _ **Zangestu50: Thank you for pointing that out, I'll keep it in mind.**_

 _ **Coolc341: Thank you! ^_^ 3**_

 _ **I apologize for how short this chapter is... I just wanted to get it out and I didn't know what else to write... :P Either way, I hope you enjoy!**_

Edward didn't know how long he stayed crouched behind the variety of cardboard boxes littering the alleyway he had hid in. Nor did he know if the soldiers had given up on their search for him. But, eventually, Ed knew, they were going to catch him at some point. He just hoped it wouldn't be in the near future. Alphonse was somewhere out there, and he planned on finding his younger brother as soon as possible.

"He's probably already out of the city by now," the teen heard Breda tell the rest of the unit as they passed by the alley that sheltered Edward for the fifth time that night.

"Something tells me he's not the one to run from a fight," the Colonel remarked. "But we can't spend anymore time looking for the boy. I'd prefer not to be late tomorrow and suffer Hawkeye's wrath, thanks."

"That's only because she pulls a gun on you," Havoc muttered.

"Hey! Shut up!" Mustang cried. "I'm not the only one!"

The pitter-patter of their footsteps and rumble of the unit's voices quickly faded away as Mustang's unit moved back towards their respective homes.

A certain blond poked his head over the boxes and peeked out of the alley cautiously. Heaving a sigh of relief, Edward scrambled out of his hiding place and ghosted his way back to his hotel room. The street lights were flickering on and off ominously. On a normal day, Ed would've been immediately suspicious, but there was too much cluttering his mind. But not even the fact there was a second pair of footsteps behind the boy knocked him out of his brooding.

Though it was already too late as a woman silently came up behind Edward and jammed a tranquilizer into his neck, watching him as he stumbled about in confusion and promptly collapsed to the ground.

"Don't worry, little golden boy, you'll return to your comrades soon enough," she murmured softly into Ed's ear, knowing full well that he couldn't hear her. "You and I are just going to have a nice, little discussion."

Hanging the boy over her shoulder, the blonde woman swiftly carried him back to where she was staying, thankful that the shadows dominated the streets.

 ** _A/N: Again, sorry for how short it is! Constructive criticism is always welcomed!_**


End file.
